Apparatus for scalding vegetables or fruit



(N6 Model.. 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. VAN KANNEL. APPARATUS FOR SOALDING VEGETABLES 0R FRUIT.

Patented Mar; 24, 1891.

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T. VAN KANNEL. APPARATUS FOR SGALDING VEGETABLES OR FRUIT.

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(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheqt a. T. VAN KANNEL. APPARATUS FOR SGALDING VEGETABLES 0RFRUIT.

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} 'NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

THEOPHILUS VAN KANNEL, OF PHILADELPHIA;PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR SCALDING VEGETABLES OR FRUIT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,895, dated March24, 1891.

Application filed May 1, 1890. Renewed January 28,1891. Serial No.379,381. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THEOPHILUS VANKAN- NEL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have inventedcertain Improvements in Apparatus for Scalding Vegetables and Fruits, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a device for scalding vegetables or fruit(hereinafter for convenience denominated stock) prior to the canning orpreserving of the same, the object of my invention being to so constructthe device that the scalding operation willbe performed more rapidly andeffectively than usual, special features of the device being that thescalding operation is effected by the action of steam instead of hotwater; that no handling of the stock is required during the scaldingoperation; that the stock is washed as well as scalded; that theoperation is performed without bruising or mashing the stock, and thatsand or other sediment which accumulates in the device can be removedfrom time to time without stopping the operation, which iscontinuousthat is to say, the stock is dumped into the receiving end ofthe device and delivered continuously from the discharge end of thesame. 1

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 18 a perspective view of ascalding device constructed 'in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view; andFigs. 4, 5, and 6 are detached views, on an enlarged scale, of parts ofthe machine, illustrating features of the invention.

The casing of .the device is made in two parts A A, the part A beingfixed, and consisting of a rectangular box mounted in an inclinedposition upon a supporting-frameB, to which is pivoted the movableportion A of the casing, the latter consisting of a tank open at the topand having a hood a, which incloses the open upper end of the portion Aof the casing, the top of which is discontinued some distance from thelower end to form an inlet-opening for the reception of the stock to betreated.

Forming part of the casing of the tank A is a plate a, which partlycloses the upper end of the casing A, the top of this plate being abovethe bottom of the hood a, so that water before overflowing from the tankA into the casing A will rise to the level of the top of the said platea, thereby covering the lower edge of the hood and providing a seal forthe upper end of the casing A.

The casing A has at the lower end an outlet-opening b at a higher levelthan the lower edge I) of the top of the casing, so that avolume ofwater is caused to accumulate in the lower end of said casing and form alike seal therefor. and bottom, is thus formed in the casing A, andsteam is admitted. to this chamber at the top through a pipe d anddischarged at or near the bottom through a pipe (1.

At the upper end of the casingAis a shaft f, which is adapted at one endto a closed bearing f screwed into a socket-plate f secured to one sideof the casing, the other end of the shaft passing through a stuffing-boxf secured to the opposite side of the casing. About midway of the casingis a transverse shaft adapted to bearings in plates g, secured to theopposite sides of the casing, and at the lower end of the casing is ashaft h, carried by opposite plates 77/, which are pivoted at 2' to thesides of the casing and have teeth t" for engagement with pawls i hungto said opposite sides of the casing. The shaft f has sprocket-wheels 7;for driving endless chains 1), and the shafts g and h are provided withcarrier-wheelsij for said chains, the adj ustability of the plates h,which carry the lower shaft 7L, providing for the maintenance of thesechains constantly under tension.

In the lower portion of the tank A is a shaft 011, mounted in bearingssimilar to those of the shaft f, and in the upper portion of the tank isa shaft m mounted in bearings similar to those of the shaft 9, the shafton having a sprocket-wheel a and the shaft m having a carrier-wheel 'n,to which are adapted endless chains p. Both sets of chains 12 p arefurnished with transverse bars or blades 5, so as to constituteelevators or conveyors for lifting the stock from the lower to the upperends of their respective casings.

The shafts f and m are provided with spur-- wheels 15, which mesh with apinion t on a driving-shaft t having a pulley t, which receives a beltfrom any available counter- A chamber D, sealed at both top shaft, sothat the respective conveyers can be driven in the direction of thearrows shown in Fig. 2.

At the lower end of the casing A is a box F, in the top of which areopenings 1*, which can be closed by means of valves 1:, carried by a rod11, which extends through a stuflingbox on the casing and has a handlea, by which the rod may be readily manipulated so as to cause the valvesr to cover or uncover the openings t. The box F has at one end adetachable cover 10, held in place by a setscrew 11', carried by apivoted yoke or clamp w, and in the bottom of the box is a tray F, whichcan be withdrawn on first removing the cover-plate 1r. On the outer sideof the box is an outlet-pipe or, which has a discharge branch 03 and anupwardly-extending branch 00 the branch 50 being closed by a valve 7 thestem of which rises almost to the top of said branch a, the latterextending above the level of the water in the lower portion of thecasingA, so that the valve can be readily manipulated.

The stock to be scalded is dumped into the water in the lower portion ofthe casin g A and is caught and carried up by the blades of the elevatorin said casin g, being passed first through the water in the lowerportion of the casing and then through the steam in the upper portion ofthe same and being then dumped into the water in the upper casing ortank A and carried through the water and up to the discharge-hopper G bythe elevator in said tank. The stock is thus subjected to a preliminarywashing operation in the water in the lower portion of the casing A, isthen scalded by being carried through the steamchamber in said casing,and is then subjected to a secondary washing operation in its passagethrough the water in the tank A. Both supplies of water are beingconstantlychanged and replenished by reason of the condensation of steamin the casing A and the water of condensation supplied by the pipe (l,and both bodies of water are hot, although of a temperature somewhatbelow the boilingpoint, as the steam in the chamber D is relied upon forscalding the stock. The greater portion of the sand or other dirt uponthe stock is washed from the same in its passage through the water inthe lower portion of the casing A, the final cleansing of the stockbeing effected by the water in the tank A.

The valves 1; are normally open, so that the foreign matter accumulatesin the tray F in the lower portion of the box F, and on closing thevalves '0 and draining the water from the box F the cap 10 at the end ofthe same may be removed and the tray F withdrawn, emptied, andreinserted prior to the reapplication of the cap and the reopening ofthe valves v, so that the accumulations of sand and dirt can be removedat intervals without stopping or affecting the operation of the scalder.The draining of the lower portion of the casing A may also be effected,when desired, by opening the valve y, so as to permit the water toescape from the casing through the box F.

As the stock has a tendency to float upon the water in the lower portionof the casing A, it is lifted gently therefrom by the blades of theelevator, and the same is true of the action of the elevator in theupper portion or tank A of the casing, while the scalding of the stockby carrying it through a chamber filled with steam eifects the desiredheating of the skin without so softening the body of the stock as tocause the latter to be mashed or broken by the act-ion of the conveyors.

The pivoted upper portion or tank A of the casing maybe disconnectedfrom the easing A and turned down, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2,when it is desired to gain access to the upper portion of said casing A,but one joint having to be separated for this purpose.

The stock is discharged through the hopper G into buckets or otherreceptacles P, which are passed in succession beneath the hopper, and inorder to provide for the con venient presentation of these receptaclesin succession to the hopper I mount adjacent to the latter anendless-platform conveyer S of any suitable construction, preferably inthe form of an annular table, suitably mounted upon carrier pulleys 01'sheaves T on a frame T, the empty buckets being applied to this annulartable on one side of the hopper and the full buckets being removed fromthe table on the other side of the hopper.

It will be observed that the above-described device is completelyautomatic in its action so far as regards the scalding of the stock, thelatter being simply dumped into the water in the lower end of the casingA, and being discharged in proper condition from the hopper G withoutfurther manipulation, the device being continuous in its action andcapable of being run at any desired rate of speed commensurate with thecapacity of the factory. The conveyer in the upper tank A may, however,be dispensed with in some cases and the stock removed therefrom by hand,or the stock may be discharged directly from the upper end of the casingA, and although it is preferable to seal said casing both at the lowerend and at the upper end, the latter seal may be dispensed with in somecases, the steam being permitted to escape from the top of the casing.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. A scalding device consisting of a box or casingprojecting into a water-chamber, which forms a trap or seal at the lowerend of said casing, in combination with an elevator located within thecasing and extending down into the water in said chamber, and means foradmitting steam to the casing, substantially as specified.

2. A scalding device consisting of a box or casin g having a steam-tightclosure at the up- ICC IIC

per or discharge end and projecting into a water-chamber at the lowerend, in combination with an elevator located within the easing andextending down into the water in said chamber, and means for admittingsteam to the casing, substantially as specified.

3. Ascalding device consisting of a casing containing a conveyer andhaving at top and bottom water chambers sealin g the upper and lowerends of said casing, and pipes for causing a circulation of steamthrough the chamber between the two seals, substantially as specified.

4. A scalding device consisting of upper and lower casings, eachcontaining a conveyer and each having a water-chamber at the lower end,that of the upper casing forming a seal for the upper end of the lowercasing, in combination with a pipe for admitting steam to the spacebetween the upper and lower seals, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the upper and lower casings and theirwaterchambers forming seals with the endless-chain conveyers in eachcasing, a driving-shaft, and gearing whereby each conveyer is drivenfrom said shaft, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of the fixed casing and its conveyer and awater-chamber forming a lower seal with the upper casing, likewisehaving a conveyer, and a water-chamber forming an upper seal, said uppercasing being pivoted, so as to be separated from the fixed casing topermit access thereto, substantially as specified.

7. The combination of thefixed casing and its conveyer with the uppermovable casing having a hood which incloses the upper end of the fixedcasing and provides for the sealing of the same by the water containedin said upper section of the casing, substantially as specified.

8. The combination of the casing, the endless chain conveyer therein,and pivoted plates carrying the bearings for one of the sets ofcarrying-wheels of said conveyer and having ratcheted edges, with pawlsfor engaging said ratchets, so as to provide for the tightening of thechains, substantially as specified.

9. The combination of the casing, the sediment-boxbelow the casing,valves for closing communication between the casing and said sediment-box, a sediment-trayin said box, and a detachable cap for closing theend of the sediment-box, substantially as specified.

10. The combination of the casing with the double-brancheddischarge-pipe and a valve closing the outlet branch and having anoperating stem extending through the other branch to a point above thewater-level of the casing, substantially as specified.

11. The combination of -the casing, the endless-chain conveyer therein,and the sprocket-wheel shaft having a bearing at one end in asocket-plate on one side of the casing and passing at the other endthrough a stuttingb0x at the other side of the casing, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

THEOPHILUS VAN KANN EL.

Witnesses:

EUGENE ELTERIOH, HARRY SMITH.

